Menzies House

And on it goes

EXCLUSIVE:

by Perkin-Warbeck 

T here is only one person standing between open warfare between Queensland’s judiciary and the Newman Government on the matter of the new laws to control bikie gangs – the Chief Justice, Paul de Jersey.

CJ de Jersey, both wily and wise, has been a Supreme Court justice since 1985 and got the top job in 1998. He has seen a succession of Premiers and Attorneys-General in his time and will undoubtedly see more before his scheduled retirement aged 70 in September, 2018.

Last weekend he did make some guarded comments about the controversy saying, “The public commentary bears a highly political flavour and thereby the courts should remain detached from that,” he said.

“(And) a challenge to the validity of the new (bikie) legislation could proceed in the Supreme Court, and that’s where challenges to grants of bail will be heard. (I) cannot by any public comment risk compromising the perceptions of the way in which the court discharges its duty in those situations,” he said.

The Chief Justice is first among equals and is not inclined to tell his fellow jurists what they can and cannot say even if he could but, clearly, his measured comments were aimed at them – in effect, he was telling Queensland judicial officers to pull their heads in.

PINK - Trademark of the macho

EXCLUSIVE:

by Harley Jamieson

Pretty in pink – dealing with bikies in Queensland

In late September in the most public outbreak of bikie violence on Queensland’s Gold Coast, a violent brawl broke out in a Broadbeach restaurant. It was all caught on CCTV and broadcast later to an understandably apprehensive public.

It was the last straw for the Newman Government and they sprang into action. Previously bikie violence was very largely inter-gang warfare and, to be frank, nobody much cared if they assaulted and shot each other so long as they didn’t put members of the public at risk.

A flurry of announcements from the Government followed. A special police taskforce was set up to target the gangs and all sorts of hairy chested pronouncements made. Leading the charge was Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie who has become something of a poster boy for law and order.

Rudd’s desperation – the Beattie “invitation”

EXCLUSIVE:

by Perkin-Warbeck 

The timing could not have been more exquisite.

While PM Rudd was introducing his brand new Forde candidate, former Queensland Premier Peter Beattie, as God’s gift to the world – apart from himself – the good people of the outer southern Brisbane electorate were receiving letters from Rudd singing the praises of Des Hardman, the abruptly dumped ALP local hero.

The electorate had already been plastered with huge billboards featuring happy snaps of Rudd and Hardman proclaiming, “Des Hardman - Kevin Rudd’s Candidate in Forde.”

Egotists and incompetents - now there are two

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd begs spinner Peter Beattie to help rescue Labor

KEVIN Rudd begged his old enemy Peter Beattie to help him prop up Labor's vote in Queensland after he realised his political honeymoon was fading fast.

Red more: Via couriermail.com.au

All women are equal but some are more equal than others

By Perkin-Warbeck

I bet you didn’t know that there are WOMEN and then there are women.

I have this on the highest possible authority – Emily’s List, no less – which proclaims in the preamble on its website, “A woman candidate, to be satisfactory, must be a ‘feminist’ in the best sense of the word…she should believe absolutely in the equality of status, liberty and opportunity between a man and a woman. A woman candidate that is shaky on this matter, or not sufficiently imbued with its importance to be able to speak convincingly on the matter, will do the movement towards establishing women in Parliament far more harm than good.”

Emily’s List is the ALP affirmative action crowd, the official sisterhood, comprising Labor women who presumably pass the “satisfactory” test. Prime Minister Gillard is a proud member.

Learning The Lessons of the Queensland Election

David Russell ponders the consequences of the Queensland election: 

As life in Queensland rolls along without the thunder, lightning and devastation commonly associated with the apocalypse, some are wondering what all the kerfuffle was about. The kerfuffle, of course, was the monstrous hiding delivered to the Australian Labor Party at the weekend’s state election.

In the random wash-up of this momentous event there are numerous little things that make one think.

Anna Bligh’s almost immediate resignation from her own electorate despite continuously promising to serve a full three-year term. Yes, she did get the message that Queensland wanted to see the back of her.  And, yes, the ALP would encounter some difficulties in its rebuilding challenge with her still in office. But, for twelve months at least, she could have offered guidance and mentoring to her protégés. Anyone who thinks the Labor rump will not need someone to hold their hands for a while at least simply does not appreciate the human factor of politics.

An apology. Not a word from anyone in the ALP that they are repentant for so thoroughly disillusioning the Queensland electorate. There is a reason that religions stress repentance before absolution. If you cannot even express sorrow for your actions why should anyone excuse you? ALP leaders may well still be thunderstruck but unless and until they can persuade people to take them seriously again their future is far from certain. An apology is the foundation stone for the future. Without it, any new edifice may well be a house of cards.

Queensland: What The Hell Just Happened?

David Russell explains the Queensland election 'massacre': 

Those who live outside the borders of the Sunshine State may choose to think this weekend’s state election means little to them. Entirely their choice, of course. But there are ramifications which will likely impact politics in every state and territory from here on.

So, what the hell just happened? Well, the Australian Labor Party lost office in a landslide after holding the reins of power for 20 of the past 22 years. In which case, one might well say: oh, it was simply natural justice – the other side gets to have a go again. And that is certainly true but there are many nuances which followers of politics may find worthy of reflection.

For a start, it was not just a landslide. It was a massacre. Even the powerfully evocative analogy of voters sitting quietly on their verandahs cuddling baseball bats, waiting to deliver judgment on the incumbent administration fails to get the full measure of this rout.

Labor had assumed the mantle of natural party of government after a decade of reform and reasonable economic management. Its initial triumph over the National Party – itself a government in various guises for 32 years – demonstrated the validity of two axioms: power corrupts and nothing lasts forever.

It was after Peter Beattie’s second election victory for Labor that the seeds of this weekend’s cataclysm were sown. Beattie was glib and his greatest gift was empathy. He struck a chord with Queenslanders and they forgave him numerous faults because he appeared genuine. Time and again he apologised for administrative stuff-ups and all was forgiven – until the electorate worked out that the mistakes were not being corrected systemically. Ministers were not held to account and a culture of arrogance soon took root. This was the genesis of the apocalypse.

QLD Election Open Thread

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